Be prepared for the holidays! Keep a couple of handfuls of whole cranberries soaking in a glass of rum in your refrigerator for this drink! It’s optional, but definitely adds something nice. The best way to make these is to boil the cranberries in water for just a minute or two before dropping them in to the rum – this will let the rum soak in.

Drop the rum-soaked cranberries and mint leaves into the bottom of a large (18-20 oz) glass. Smash the cranberries into a paste. Now fill the glass about half-full of crushed ice. Squeeze the lime wedges into the glass, and then drop in the squeezed wedges. Add in the cranberry juice, and simple syrup (you can substitute cane juice for simple syrup if you happen to live in an area where it is available). Now muddle everything together, which basically means using a wooden spoon or muddler (available in bar supply stores – looks like a tiny baseball bat) to smash everything in with the crushed ice to combine the flavors. You don’t want to grind the mint leaves into pulp, but you do want to make sure they get a bit crushed. Pour in the rum, fill to the top with club soda and stir.